Death by a Friend's Hand
by Way Walker
Summary: This is centred on the scene in the episode Amok Time when Kirk and Spock fight to the death on Vulcan. Kirk’s POV.


Amok Time

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the rights to Star Trek or anything else really for that matter, so please don't sue me.

How had it come to this?

Why did history have to repeat itself? Is this some kind of cruel universal cosmic joke? Here I am … doing the one thing that I had promised myself that I would never let happen again, something that I have blocked from my thoughts and tried not to think about for so long. But here I am nevertheless, on another planet, fighting another friend, fighting another best friend to the death. Before I can stop myself I let unpleasant memories of another time rise to the surface of my mind, moments and faces that I have tried so hard not to remember. Unwillingly I think back to a time that holds so much pain and regret for me, memories that I have tried unsuccessfully to ignore.

Gary.

I killed him.

I killed one of my best friends and I am now locked in a fight to the death with another. I am now trapped in the exact same position once again but this time my opponent is none other then Spock, my first officer, my best friend and my brother. Although we do not have the same blood running through our veins I would gladly and without a second thought give my life for him but here I am fighting him to the death!

How could I let this happen! No I won't! I must not; I refuse to let it happen again! I will not let another friend die by my own hand!

This time however I force myself to think that this is not the same situation I found myself in last time, no this time there is a vital difference. Gary … He had threatened the Enterprise, he had put the crew's lives in danger, he was a threat that needed to be taken care of but Spock is not. The only people who are in any danger this time around are only I and Spock.

No, Spock is not Gary, he can't speak for his actions and this is not his fault. He is not himself; gone is his composure and logic only to be replaced with anger and bloodlust. This is not my friends fault for he did not ask or wish for this to happen. If he was in control now he would not be fighting me but he is not in control of himself now and he would kill me without a second thought. He has no choice. Something else is to blame for his behaviour and actions, this ceremony is to blame and this is not his fault.

I force myself to halt my dark thoughts as I struggle in time to duck a low punch from Spock and I am forced to fight back with my own. I aim for his chest, hoping that it would knock him out without seriously harming him because even though I did not want to kill my friend, my brother I have no wish to die either. However Spock is too fast and dodges my punches, I try to dodge his and fight back, to push away from the heat but the thin air and the gravity rob me of my strength. The good doctor's hypo hadn't helped much at all, if I had known better I would say that he didn't give me anything for all the good it has done. Rather, I feel a strange weakness in my arms and legs, the air is too thin, the air too hot. Spock has a greater advantage. His body is used to this planet's conditions and he only seems to get faster and stronger whilst I am too slow and getting weaker by the second, the heat and thin air draining me of my strength.

I know that I am close to defeat.

Sensing my growing weakness Spock quickly catches my leg with the leather weapon; I struggle to gain the advantage but it is in vain. We roll in the sand when suddenly Spock wraps the weapon around my neck and drags me over to the pit that is located in the centre of this holy ground. The place I fear would become my final resting place, the place where I will die.

His strong hands spoke of a power that could not be sane and as they push me down into the pit I feel the searing heat of the coals scorch my back. My chest still burns from the slash of the lirpa as the strip of leather around my neck is slowly choking the life out of me.

I can't breathe.

My vision begins to grow cloudy.

Bones! How can he just stand there and watch his best friends fight to the death? Watch my death? No, he can't interfere for if he did try to stop us he would certainly be killed. I will not allow myself to be the cause of another friends death.

I struggle in vain to loosen the leather from my neck but it seems hopeless. I know I have not long to live now, I can not survive much longer but as I continue to struggle for air a part of me cries that it would be better to give in, to stop struggling. If I die, if I don't fight back I won't to be forced to kill Spock, I will not have to kill another friend. I did not risk everything, defied Federation orders to bring Spock to Vulcan, only to have him die on this desert planet!

Bones and Spock would both live but I will never see them again. I will never see or be on the Enterprise again.

My vision grows cloudier still.

I am beyond pain now and can barely think. I can feel my life force draining onto the burning sands of Vulcan.

I never thought that my life would end like this.

Spock.

Death by a friend's hand.

But not just by any friend, Spock is the one killing me. Spock's hands are the ones chocking me and draining the life out of me. Spock, my friend, my brother, someone who I trust completely and who I would die for.

But I am dying … and he is the one killing me.

With that thought I surrender to the growing darkness.

AUTHOR NOTE: Amok Time is one of my favourite Star Trek episodes ever and this scene is also one of my favourites. I'm sorry that this story is a bit short compared to some of my other stories but what do you think? Please review! All reviews are very much appreciated.


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